Friday, July 04, 2008

Sources tell TSN Dan Boyle has signed his no-trade clause and has agreed to a trade to the San Jose Sharks.

The paper work is now in the hands of the NHL. Pending NHL approval the next step will be the finalization of the deal.

In return for the 31-year old veteran defenseman, it is believed Tampa will receive a package that will include 23-year old defenseman Matt Carle, a first round draft pick, a prospect and a 4th round pick.

Sources say defenseman Brad Lukowich is also part of the deal going to San Jose.

Sources in San Jose have indicated that Ty Wishart, the Sharks' first rounder in 2006, is likely the prospect in the deal. And he's a pretty good one.

It's tough to know where to start on this one:

Another set of NHL owners prove they're not worth their word when it comes to a no-trade clause.

San Jose gives up a ton for a 32-year-old smallish defenceman who is coming off an ugly injury and has one of the worst contracts in the league through 2014.

The Sharks take on a ton of salary, too, given Boyle's cap hit of $6.67-million and Lukowich's $1.57-million, and are within $2-million of the cap. I can't see the team's budget being that high and there will be salary-dump type deals to come.

The Lightning, meanwhile, have freed up an incredible amount of salary and are nearly $10-million under the cap.

Didn't anyone in Tampa Bay see what the team played like without Boyle last season? The blueline now consists of Carle-Ranger, O'Brien-Kuba and two propsects.

Cue the Nikolai Khabibulin back to the Lightning rumours.

The deal certainly makes San Jose's blueline stronger, although there are now eight NHL-calibre defenders on the team.

Another trade is likely in the mix for both clubs, and we'll have to wait and see at that point how things shake out. Signing Rob Blake to that $5-million deal yesterday doesn't make a lot of sense at the moment.

It's been a wild four days, hasn't it?

UPDATE Wishart is confirmed as the prospect in the deal.

UPDATE "We are thrilled to add a player with Matt's abilities to our roster as we continue our plan of retooling and refinishing the Lightning team," said Lightning vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton. "He quarterbacked the number one power play unit in the NHL two seasons ago as a rookie and he clearly will add speed and skill to our lineup. He fits with our plan of trying to getting younger and better."

"Anytime you consider trading a player of Dan Boyle's calibre, you have to be sure of your options and subsequent decisions. For years, Dan has been a big part of the Lightning's success, but we felt the need to make this move was in the best interest of our present and our future. We know this has been difficult for Dan and his family but he has been nothing but a professional through the entire process and we thank him for that.".

Say what you will about the circus in Tampa, but this appears to be a huge win for them. Carle is a young guy who I think has the potential to be a very capable offensive defenceman, plus they get a bunch of picks/prospects, plus they clear a very heavy and burdensome contract.

The question for me is the following: Does the Lightning owners/management group have a coherent plan, or are they just winging it with a series of independent moves made with limited foresight?

I get the feeling its the latter, but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't come out ok.

If the Sharks can keep a top three of Boyle, Blake and Rivet, along with their two top defensive defenseman last season in Ehrhoff (RFA) and Murray, that makes for a potent blueline.

McLaren's knee gave out I believe against Toronto, and he had a couple of games at the end of the regular season to try it out before he started 5 games against Calgary and had to sit out again. Health issues are going to be a major concern for him moving forward. That leaves Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brad Lukowitch. Vlasic plays an intelligent game, and the Sharks are very high on his development.

Maybe Tampa is winging it but I have to say so far so good. The impact of getting rid of Boyle and his deal won't be realized next season, at least positively, but down the road this trade was absolutely brilliant.

Btw, I quess we can now expect announcment that GM Jay Feaster has 1)been fired, 2)resigned, 3)retired, 4)moved to scouting department, 5)disappeared...

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About Me

A sportswriter at The Globe and Mail, James covers the NHL and the game of hockey. He is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, a radio and TV analyst with TSN and was the NHL network manager at SB Nation from 2008 to 2010. A graduate of Thompson Rivers and Ryerson universities, James grew up in Kamloops, B.C. — one of Canada's great hockey cities — and was a season ticket holder in the Blazers' glory years.

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